


Mermaid Marco - One Shot

by ArtisticTrash



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Attempted Murder, Gen, Mermaid Transformation, One Shot, Spoilers, Transformation, but not really, mermaid marco, murder but not really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 17:19:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15667755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtisticTrash/pseuds/ArtisticTrash
Summary: A short little one-shot about Marco becoming a mermaid for the first time.Read the tags if you wish. Warnings are up there.





	Mermaid Marco - One Shot

Standing on top of the rickety wooden dock, Marco could take in more of the salty fragrance provided by the ocean that lay before him. The scent offering him a feeling of relief and comfort that his own home was void of during the night. His chocolate eyes sweep over the high tides and watch as the waves eat away at the sand every other second. Altogether making a rhythmic song that he listened to; only available when he was out here alone. The teenaged boy preferred the beach to himself and specifically chosen times when no one ventured out. For some reason beyond his control, Marco felt drawn to this spot near the sea.

Settling himself on the edge of the worn boards, the boy lets his legs swing back and forth as one. The breeze pushing his neatly cut hair from his face and sending a slight chill over his body, despite being clothed to combat the sensation. Ignoring the cold, Marco trails his eyes up to the sky. The moon was full and gave the illusion that its color had changed from a pearly white to a muted red.

While enjoying himself in the tiny paradise he created from the ruins of a fishing port of his small town, Marco easily got lost in the nature surrounding him by laying down and stargazing. He was unsure how much time had passed when he realized that he should head back home. After all, his parents were strictly against the idea of him being so close to the ocean anyway. They would absolutely freak out if they found out he had snuck out of the house to be here alone at night.

Eventually, he got up shaking his head and letting out a dejected sigh. He really didn't want to leave but he didn't really have a choice. Marco gave the horizon one last good look before he turned and made his way back. With the benefit of being barefoot, Marco barely made a sound as he traveled through the sand and vegetation that populated the land before the first foundations of the village. While going about his way silently, he overheard others speaking in rushed murmurs.

Marco was very aware of the curfew set up for the entire village and he quickly took cover in the bushes and shadows provided by the night. Getting discovered and the risk of punishment there afterward was a sole motivation for his secrecy. The voices drew nearer and while Marco was slightly afraid, he grew more intrigued. The voices sounded familiar and as much as he hated to eavesdrop on others, the conversation was quite interesting to overhear.

"Are you sure this plan will work?" one asked. A hint of worry laced their voice and their hesitant feet paused with the others in tow.

"Of course it will, as long as we follow through with our parts," another person responded with a convincing tone. This person stuck out differently with a high pitched and feminine sound to them when compared to the other speaker.

"Don't worry, after that there'll be no more pretending. We'd have done what we're meant to do as warriors," the final person stated. Their voice was deep and resonated with the hidden boy more than it should have. Marco swore to himself that he knows the identity of these people but with their faces obscured there was no way he could tell for certain.

"Then we can all go home, Bert," the feminine voice added sympathetically for the worried person. Marco wondered what they meant at first and then froze when he heard the nickname.

There was only one boy Marco knew personally with a nickname like that and only two people that were extremely close to that boy. Marco tried to shake away the feeling of growing uncertainty. It couldn't be Bertholdt, Annie, and Reiner. It just can't be them. They're all friends that lived together in one of the poorest warring countries out there. This town was their home but the three were talking like they were outsiders; like they were spies.

In the midst of shock and desperately wishing to dismiss his thoughts of his friends ever being traitors, Marco abruptly rose up from his spot in the bushes. His sudden appearance caught the attention of the trio and it was, of course, the three friends: Annie, Bertholdt, and Reiner. All three of them stared at Marco with differentiating looks.

"Marco, what are you doing here," Bertholdt asked with an edge of panic in his voice. Marco easily saw how uncomfortable the taller boy looked while shifting behind Reiner.

"I always come here at night," Marco countered as he stepped onto the gravel path, out in the open.

"You do, but you're not supposed to," Annie said softly. Her voice combating an emotionless tone and something akin to sadness.

"Then what are you three doing out here," Marco argued but the blonde refused to answer or look Marco in the eyes. Her gaze shifting from his feet back to her own.

"We wanted to talk alone. What did you hear, Marco," Reiner asked. His tone considerably got lower and more serious. Marco definitely did not want to get on his bad side, ever.

"Uh... Nothing. I didn't hear anything," Marco said as he tried to show more false confidence and cease any trace of a stutter. If they were spies from the enemy lands, what lengths would they go to in order to keep their positions a secret?

"Marco, you'd better not lie to me. We don't want you to misunderstand anything," the older boy reassured. While it was meant for good intentions, Marco did not perceive the vibe similarly as it was intended.

"Really, I heard nothing. Something about you guys having a plan, being warriors, and then going home," Marco rushed out in a convincing matter. Hopefully, when he said it like so, they would believe that he hadn't already jumped to conclusions.

Reiner appeared to have believed it but Marco didn't exactly trust him anymore. The blonde looked over his shoulder to his friends. Annie kept her head low, only giving a slight shrug with her shoulders. Bertholdt returned an anxious look before letting his eyes survey Marco. Meanwhile, the boy intentionally kept his attention on the three and didn't let them out of his sight or his thoughts. Bertholdt looked back down to Reiner and lightly shook his head. Reiner returned it with a stiff nod. When Reiner took an advancing step to Marco, the smaller teen felt his blood run cold. Marco ached to run away but he couldn't will his body to do so.

"Why," Marco mumbled when Reiner got close enough to lay a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place.

"You know how it is. We can't take any chances," Reiner commented. His grip on Marco's shoulder was stronger than before and the dark haired boy knew there was no way out of it.

The next moments of his life were a blur and before he knew it, he was back on the dock. Standing on the edge above the restless sea as an enemy threatening his life with the one thing he sincerely loved. Marco felt fearful of the unknown but at the same time content with the uncertainty. Maybe this was the calm before the storm Marco had heard of.

In an act of defiance, knowing that he was seconds away from being pushed by the masculine boy behind him, Marco glared at Reiner. Then he turned his fierce gaze to the two that stayed at the sand before the dock. Reiner's face was stone cold and unreadable. Bertholdt looked on and denied Marco any emotional connection before his end. Annie continued to stare at her feet but made the mistake of quickly glancing at Marco with a sorrowful look and instantly returned to her sand-covered shoes.

It happened all of a sudden and before he completely registered it, Marco fell from the height. His back the first to touch the water with the rest of his body getting completely submerged in the frigid temperature. Marco was a fairly decent swimmer on his own but the rough and wild waters made it nearly impossible for him to manage to stay afloat. Marco desperately kicked his legs and flailed his arms but to no avail. As he opened his mouth to shout, the salty water overwhelmed him and he choked on mouthfuls of it before going beneath the surface.

Marco was already too tired and was beginning to question why he was still fighting. It's not like he thought he was going to live or survive this. Pushed under the waves and with no hope of returning for air, Marco let any breath he had in his lungs out and opened his eyes. Surprisingly, they didn't sting as much as he thought they should and he caught the view of the moon rays pushing into the depths of the water around him. His lungs giving off a weird aching sensation as they expanded, filling with the water.

Marco thought it was an effect of dying at first but when the weird sensation of something similar to pain continued, he began to wonder if something else was happening. His neck started to twinge and he ran his hands over the sides were the feeling originated. Marco didn't think he got hurt but he now had little cuts in his skin with no idea how they became. The little slits in his neck only continued to open and his skin had eventually created an opening to his water clogged airway.

Slight panic took a hold of Marco as he started to push the water in and out of his lungs with the slits. It was like breathing. Marco let out a small yelp of surprise, barely audible to his ears when he discovered he was breathing underwater. Marco hadn't been timing but he was sure he should be dead. Marco's body was changing with his new environment. He was adapting.

In the dim lighting that was available, Marco tried to observe his hands. They felt much slicker than what they really should be; a thin webbing had started to materialize in between his slender fingers. Moving onto the rest of his body, Marco started to feel a similar material from his fingers grow from his legs. Curious about his changing state, Marco quickly pulls his pants off and they drift away. From there, Marco watches the progression of slime then scales grow over his feet, legs, and waist. Fusing his entire lower half together as a beautiful dark purple tail; similar to a fish, complete with see-through fins and other scales and fins growing on the rest of his body.

Marco took a few moments to grasp what major changes that just occurred. Instead of being afraid, he was enlightened and instantly goes to test out his new body parts. At first, it's hard for him to even move a few feet in the water in any desired direction. Marco, unfamiliar with his tail, sinks to the body of the ocean floor. He huffs and a few small bubbles leave his mouth and travel up above with Marco staring at them enviously. He sits up and decides to ditch his shirt before going for another attempt. It wasn't like it was doing much for him anyway.

Filled with more determination, Marco propels his body and maneuvers it to properly swim. His tail and webbed hands made it extremely easy for him to swim much faster than before when he was human. He made quick turns and spun around several times before he stopped and remembered what had happened. He was almost murdered and nearly forgot about it. Getting caught up in the delight of being something that coincides with the ocean had nearly pushed away everything in his life that led up to this point.

Quickly, he swam back up to the surface to see if the group had decided to stick around or not. When Marco lifted his head above the water, he instantly began to cough and spit up the water. It was to Marco's delight when he realized he'd already gotten used to the salty taste. It took him a few deep breaths, but Marco had eventually cleared his lungs of the water and was thrilled to find he was still able to breathe air. It took him additional time blinking and rubbing his eyes to get a good look at the dock though. As expected, the traitorous trio had left him for dead.

More upset than he thought he would be, Marco sunk back down and inhaled more of the ocean water. It still felt awkward but Marco was sure he could get used to it. The half-human boy continued to sink down until he found a comfortable spot on the sandy floor near one of the wooden poles covered in barnacles and algae. There Marco contemplated what he should do. It seemed like fate. He didn't want to die and he loved the ocean. Of course, whoever was in control of these kinds of things thought it would be perfect to mold him into the creature he was currently.

The boy briefly wondered about his life. He could try to talk to someone and tell them what happened or he could live the rest of his days exploring the ocean that swallowed the sun every night. Of course, he had ties with plenty of people above but after tonight they'd think he was dead. What if I am dead to them, Marco thought skeptically.

Just because I'm dead, it doesn't mean that I'm actually gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it. I actually put some thought into the symbolism between the show and the characters.
> 
> While this is meant to be a one-shot, I've kinda wondered how cool this would be if it were a full-length story but I would have no idea what to do with it.


End file.
